The Wenger Swiss Army Knife

The Wenger Swiss Army Knife. It dates back to 1886 when the Swiss Army decided to equip every soldier with a regulation single-blade folding knife. In 1889 a new rifle was introduced. To take apart the rifle a screwdriver was needed. So the decision was made to create a multi-purpose tool incorporating a knife, screwdriver, reamer and can opener.

At that time, the cutlery industry in Switzerland was well established but incapable of mass production. So the knives were made in Solingen, Germany. However, a Swiss cutler soon established a knife manufacturing company and began to make army knives. Shortly after in 1893 at Courtetelle in Delémont Valley, the second industrial cutlery of Switzerland, Paul Boechat & Cie - and the future Wenger S.A. - received a contract from the Swiss Army to produce knives.

One Tradition, One Culture. Today the company is located in Delémont in the Swiss Jura region. The majority of its 200 employees are residents of the area, which is also home to various high-precision industries (watchmaking, machine tools, microtechnology, microelectronics...). It is therefore not surprising that the taste for innovation, precision and expert craftsmanship, as typical local values, inspire the company’s own industrial culture. Just as Wenger originally gave the Swiss knife its main functions and current shape – with flat sides – with which it is so well known today, so now we have sculpted the shape that it will have tomorrow.